Incorporate Environmental Protection into the Olympic Games

The objective of this chapter is to illustrate how Beijing has addressed its environmental issues to fulfill its “Green Olympics” promise. A general overview is first provided on how environmental protection has become an important part of the Olympic Games. Then, the chapter presents the extensive environmental efforts associated with hosting the Beijing Olympic Games, mainly focusing on such areas as air quality, energy, transportation, water environment, green coverage, solid waste, and environmental education. Finally, the chapter touches on the environmental impact of the Beijing Olympics from local residents' perspectives, illustrating that the Beijing Olympics provided a unique opportunity for the city to speed up its urban environmental reform. With a mandatory environmental policy and collective efforts involving the government, environmental agencies, and community groups, hosting a mega sport event can create a positive environmental legacy to the host city and its country.

Coach Education and Learning

The vocation of sports coaching has seen a significant growth across the globe (Taylor & Garratt, 2013). Accordingly, the need to professionalise coaching and to establish a framework for the development of the coaching profession has also been advocated by many scholars (Cushion et al., 2010; Lyle, 2002). The International Sports Coaching Framework (ISCF) jointly proposed by the International Council for Coaching Excellence, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, and Leeds Metropolitan University in 2012 has provided directions and systems for global coach education and development. Coaches need to continually learn and develop their craft to remain relevant and competent. Learning can be formal or informal and can happen through many forms such as experiential learning, reflection, study, and workshops/clinics (Cushion & Neslon, 2013). These diverse learning formats cater to individual differences and hence should be encouraged to develop coaches. Coach education is explored in this chapter.

Strategies for the Development of Life Skills and Values through Sport Programmes

Sport is a very popular activity that provides a context suitable for positive youth development (Danish, Forneris, & Wallace, 2005). Although the acquisition of motor skills and sport-specific abilities are indispensable constituents of sport involvement, other elements contributing to athletes' positive development such as life skills and values must be considered (Carron, Hausenblas, & Estabrooks, 2003; Forneris, Camiré, & Trudel, 2012; Landers & Petruzzelo, 1994). Several studies have examined the effectiveness of sport-based programmes designed for developing life skills and values, but a limited amount of research has specifically addressed how to promote this type of material among youth. There is a need for a review that explores the potential approaches for infusing the learning of life skills and values in sport participation, and improving the effectiveness of structured life skills and values-driven training programmes in order to achieve the desired developmental benefits of sport participation.

A Path Analytic Model of the Relationship between Event Involvement and Sponsors Recall

This chapter empirically examines the importance of involvement in accurate sponsor identification in Indian Premier League (IPL) and explores the involvement differences between gender characteristics. The study aims to: (1) validate Kyle et al. (2004) involvement scale in context of IPL, (2) examine involvement differences according to gender characteristics, and (3) explore the impact of individuals' involvement on their ability to recall sponsors. Findings of the study reveal that involvement differences do exist among gender characteristics and individuals' levels of involvement significantly impact their ability to recall sponsors, as it was found that highly involved individuals recall more sponsors. These findings have implications for marketers investing in sponsorship-linked marketing in emerging economies.

Hosting the Youth Olympic Games

Athens 1896, Chamonix 1924, Singapore 2010, and Innsbruck 2012 represent the four major games innovations introduced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Being seen as an efficient and gracious host of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) signified a growing reputation that enhanced Singapore's global status. The interactions and interdependencies between state institutions, international associations, private bodies, and the people themselves served to reinforce existing sentiments that Singapore was not only successfully integrating sporting initiatives into the broader strategy for nation building but also sending out a resounding message to the rest of the world. This chapter examines the motivations, organisational processes, and linked issues that helped to establish Singapore as a country capable of creating an Olympic event and simultaneously marketing the Singapore brand. Negative financial and logistic issues could not overshadow the benefits that emerged to enhance the regional and global identity of the small island state.

Participant Perception of the Foreign Sports Talent (FST) Scheme

This chapter seeks to understand the participant perception of the Foreign Sports Talent (FST) scheme in Singapore and the pivotal role of the FST scheme in Singapore's elite sports development, through the analysis of the impact of FST on Singapore's sporting achievements since its inception in 1993. To facilitate the above, a survey questionnaire was used to solicit responses from participants collected by a group of 3rd year students from Republic Polytechnic. The findings demonstrated diverse opinions on various aspects of the FST scheme. Towards the end of this chapter, it considers and recommends suitable measures to enhance the FST scheme, such as programmes to enhance social assimilation into Singapore, post-career opportunities for the FST athletes, and transference of skills and knowledge to the younger generation.

A Case Study of Sport Marketing Strategy of Mercuries Taiwan Masters Invitational Golf Tournament 2012

The Mercuries Taiwan Masters Invitational Golf Tournament has successfully been held for over 26 years without any interruption. The Mercuries Corporation is the company that organized the event solely. However, golf games in Taiwan normally do not attract enough spectators to watch them, unless there are world-renowned star players participating in the game. Consequently, most of the golf tournaments would not be able to sustain because of no sufficient income from spectators and from sponsors. MTMIGT has managed to survive because of the support of its own corporation, but the event is also facing the problem of lacking viewers. Being noticed by the corporation, the Department of Sport Management at Aletheia University and its students earned their reputation as a group of hard working entry-level event volunteers for MTMIGT for many years. Because of this, the corporation contacted the head of the department in 2011 and invited them to work together on a larger scale. The Mercuries Corporation wanted the Department of Sport Management to plan the marketing works of the event, and the company would pay all of the expenses. After months of preparation and planning by the department, the 2011 MTMIGT and its surrounding sport marketing campaigns were staged with better results than its previous years. And the department thus successfully acquired the right of planning and implementing the event's marketing for 2012. This case study fully explores the cooperation between the MTMIGT and the department in 2012. The result as well as its process can be a reference for people in the sport industry and the academy.

Branding through Sponsorship-Linked Marketing

The essence of sponsorship is reciprocity. Whereas sport organizations and event promoters have increasingly relied on sponsors' resources and financial support to stage their events, many companies have also been vigorously seeking sponsorship opportunities to actualize their marketing goals, such as enhancing brand equity. This research examines the impacts of sponsorship-linked marketing activities on perceived consumer-based brand equity elements (i.e., brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand awareness/associations) of the sponsor. This was done through a case study of how sponsorship-linked marketing strategy has shaped the development of Li Ning Company Limited, a Chinese sports apparel and equipment company. Results show that the branding effectiveness of sponsorship directly depends on event quality, perceived event-brand congruency, and brand experience, but not level of sports involvement.

The Influence of Sports Fan Ethnocentrism on Major League Baseball Game Viewing Behavior

The aim of this chapter is to investigate the influence of Sports Fan Ethnocentrism (SFE) on the viewing behavior toward Major League Baseball (MLB) games in Korea and Taiwan. The survey was conducted by interviewing respondents from Korea and Taiwan who watched MLB in the 2013 season. It was discovered that Korean viewers have stronger SFE than Taiwanese viewers, and male viewers have a higher level of SFE than females in both countries. Moreover, the results of testing the proposed model revealed that SFE has a positive influence on the attitude toward MLB, which in turn has a positive influence on MLB viewing intention. Although a direct relationship between SFE and viewing intention was not found, a full mediation effect of the attitude toward MLB on the relationship between SFE and viewing intention was confirmed. Differences of the model for Korean and Taiwanese fans are observed and discussed.

Promoting an Asian Sport to the World

Taekwondo (TKD) has seen rapid growth as a universal martial art sport due, in part, to it being an Olympic Games event. TKD has played a very important role in the construction of the image of Korea as a nation brand. This chapter provides an extensive discussion on factors affecting consumer decisions to participate in TKD schools. The suggested factors in this chapter provide specific implications to the marketing of TKD based on the unique characteristics of the TKD market environment. This chapter also illustrates how TKD organizations have maintained a close working relationship with the Korean government to seek financial and human resources support.